Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-02-23
"WILD BECKY"
How She Improved Herself and
Her Friends.

|
Her Friends.
II there is one thing that the country
folks of Millville were proud of over
and above the new organ in their
'meetin-h house" it was the Millville
Boarding School, which capped the
very highest pinnacle of their village.
A light set upon hill, which shed its
literary radiance over the whole place.
| C,nthia Adams was the only day
$ holar, but she was the squire $
da lghter, and it was a matter of course
that her schooling should be something
beyond that of the rest of the village
girls.
One day, as the scholars were hang
ing over the school-yard fence, or, sit
ting in groups on the steps, waiting
for the school-bell TO ring, they heard
II man with lusty pair of lungs shout
lug "Gee-haw, git up tharn in voice
So loud that it threatened to shake the
| hills.
That is one of old miller's whispers,
do believe" laughed Cynthia. Hes
n farmer about here with a roaring
voice. Such queer fellow as he is.
to be sure. wish you girls could see
him.
IL wish mightr' answered fun-lov-
ing Mile King.
docs he live far from here?"
"His house is way down by the edge
of the town, beyond the pine wood
they call the place Biscuit City"
why? Because they have so many
biscuit thcreP" asked dozen voices
at once.
Cynthia shook her head.
Il guess it is because they don't
have them" she sad; "perhaps they
W sh they did, and 50 call it that. All
really know about it is that there does
not seem to be any one there to cook
much, anyway; for Farmer Miller lives
alone with his granddaughter, "a girl
about our age"
"Couldn't she make biscuitP' per-
sisted Millie, unwilling to give up the
idea that they abounded in Biscuit
City.
Becky! I'd like to see any thing
decent that Wild Becky could make.
No one in the village will have any
thing to do with her, for she's such a
wild, harum-scarum thing, and so
green, too, that you'd mistake her for
g ass, just as likely as not"
Cynthia stopped abruptly, for the
"Gee-haw" sounded nearer every
moment, and now a pair of oxen came
numbering over the brow of the hill,
followed by a rickety haycart, at the
end of which was poised bare-headed
| young person in cloud of dust. Her
| ample bonnet swung from the top of
| one of the poles which formed the sides
of he cart, evidently for the purpose
Of proving to the pasers-by that she
| possessed the article, though she did
not choose to wear it. She looked up
at it rather wistfully, however, as her
champion, Farmer Miller, with thunder
| ing EXPLANATIONS, drove the cart up to
the school-house gate.
"Pile out, Becky" he roared, "and
ell soon fix it up with 'em here.
Don't be skeered, gal. Be you the
schoolmarmp"
| The question was addressed to Miss
Peters. the principal, who, at this
juncturc, came politely forward.
III,
ma am" he continued. "but I'm bound
that my gal, here, shall have as good n
chance as the rest of 'em. She's IL
good gal, Becky is, only u trile wild
like, and needs settlin' bit. I'm q
better hand at settlin' bills than lively
young creatures like this one; so IL
you'll tend to one I'll tend to t'other, {"
and handing the poor girl over, tum-
bling her bonnet after her, he was
halfway down the hill before Wild
Becky had made up her mind whether
she would be settled or not.
IL was very disagreeable standing
there with all the girls staring at her,
she thought; and, CHANGING shyly out
from under her long lashcs, her eyes
rested gladly on the familiar features
of the 'squire's daughter.
GLOW do, Cynthia?" she said, nod
ding in such a civil way that it sur
prised herself.
Cynthia looked blankly into her face
a moment without making the slightest
sign of recognition, then, wheeling
around on her heels, she turned her
back squarcly upon her. A litter went
around the yard. Every one seemed
amused but poor Becky, who shut her
mouth tightly, and her heart, too, for
that matter, and hated her kind. As
she Joined the crowd squeezing into
| the school-housc she wondered why
she had ever consented to be brought
TO school. The old wild life per-
fectly contented her. To roll
about for hours under the wide.
spread oaks, with friendly squirrels,
or to chase the brook as lit dashed gayly
down the hills, was pleasanter than the
society of girls, she had always thought.
But the fact was her grandfather had
taken it into his dear old head to make
a lady of her, and, rather than disap-
point the kind soul who had done so
much for her, Wild Becky made
desperate effort to plume herself
down that morning into a civilized girl
and minglc with her fellow beings.
1t was harder even than she had inn
agincd. The close school-room almost
stiicd her, while the dull monotonous
hum IL voices had such Supplying
effect that before she had been seated
long her head dropped on her desk and
she fell asleep. She was wakened by
something tickling her nose; putting
her hand up quickly great bouncing
butterfly huttercd through her fingers
and shot up into the air. Now. this
was a playmate Wild Becky never
could resist; without half real ling
where she was, she burst into loud
laugh, and was making dive for II,
when. recollecting herself, she slid
down again In o her seat, witt the
painful consciousness that all eyes were
upon her. Tho pair that terrified her
most were those upon the platform-not
Miss Peters eyes, but those OF another
teacher who had come into the room
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